How One Executive Mom Made It Work (with Google V.P. Sarah Armstrong)

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In this week’s episode of the podcast, I sit down with powerhouse exec and mom, Sarah Armstrong - VP of Global Marketing Operations at Google and author of The Art of the Juggling Act. We dive deep into what it really takes to be a thriving executive and present mom without burning out. Sarah shares honest stories from her decades-long global career, the boundaries that made it all possible, and how she made pivotal decisions, like passing on promotions to protect her family and peace. If you’ve ever wondered whether it’s okay to slow down without losing your ambition, or how to stop guilt from running your life, this one’s a must-listen. 

Topics in this episode: 

  • What executive-level boundaries actually look like (and how to hold them) 

  • Why saying “I’m doing the best I can” is a powerful guilt-replacement 

  • How to rethink success so it’s rooted in joy, not just title-chasing 

  • The exact questions Sarah asks herself every year to evaluate her career 

  • Why it’s not selfish (or weak) to ask for help—it’s smart strategy 

Show Notes & References:

Connect with Sarah:

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Transcript

Intro

What does it really take to thrive as an executive and a mom without burning out or giving everything to one side of your life?

In today’s episode, I sit down with Sarah Armstrong. She’s the VP of Global Marketing Operations at Google and the author of the book The Art of the Juggling Act, a bite-sized guide for working parents.

Sarah has built an incredible global career over the past several decades. She has raised a daughter while doing it, and she has been through the sleepless nights, the global travel, the guilt, and the pressure to always do more. And she is here on the podcast today to share her wisdom that she has gathered along the way.

We talk about setting boundaries without apologizing. We talk about replacing guilt and redefining what success looks like—on your terms.

If you’ve ever wondered how to be deeply present at home while still showing up fully in your executive career, or if you’ve questioned whether it’s okay to prioritize your family for a while instead of that next promotion, then this conversation is for you.

Are you ready? Let’s get to it.

Welcome to the Ambitious and Balanced Working Moms podcast, your go to resource for integrating your career ambitions with life as a mom, I'm distilling down thousands of coaching conversations I've had with working moms just like you, along with my own personal experience as a mom of two and sharing the most effective tools and strategies to help you quickly feel calm, confident, and in control of your ambitious working mom life. You ready? Let's get to it.

Rebecca: Hello. Hello, working moms. I am so excited to have Sarah Armstrong here on the podcast today. Sarah is in global marketing and she is the VP of Global Marketing Operations at Google, and she has a daughter—we were just talking about her—who is just about to graduate from college, which is so exciting. So she's got so many, so many tips and wisdoms and strategies, and she's just come out with a book called The Art of the Juggling Act: A Bite-Sized Guide for Working Parents. And oh my gosh, I just cannot wait to, like, tap into her wisdom. Thank you for being here, Sarah.

Sarah: Thank you for having me, Rebecca. So great to be here.

Rebecca: Yes, absolutely. So that—I mean, I just gave everybody your title and things like that—but tell us a little bit more about you. Tell us a little bit about how you came to write this book, a little bit about where you live, you know, all the details.

The Journey from Global Leadership to Parenting Wisdom

Sarah: Great. So, well, I live in San Francisco, and as you mentioned, I have a 22-year-old daughter who’s graduating this summer from college, which is crazy to think. And I have worked in the corporate world for 30-plus years—everything from the agency side. And I spent about 20 years at The Coca-Cola Company, and then I was a partner at McKinsey, and then I joined Google five years ago to lead marketing operations.

So I’ve had very varying degrees of roles within the kind of global marketing, and my role has always been global. So I’ve kind of had that as part—part of my juggling act.

Rebecca: Yeah. Because then you’re dealing with the time zones and everything related to that as well.

Sarah: Every day, all day.

Rebecca: Absolutely, yes.

Sarah: Talking to people around the world—which I love, actually. It's really made me a citizen of the world in many ways. And what led me to write this book is I have reflected over the years on the fact that we go to school for so many things. We learn about all these topics in school, but we actually don’t learn about parenting in school.

Rebecca: Nope.

Sarah: Right. And then we don't learn about how to manage our career in school. We learn about a topic we might want to pursue as a career, but the actual concept of managing our career—you know, it’s not something that we really focus on.

And then when you put those two things together, we don’t learn about how to manage two of the most important aspects of our life that we're going to do all at once. And how do we do them in a healthy and happy way where you feel like you're leading a fulfilling life?

And I look around, Rebecca, and I'm really fortunate to work with amazing people at all the various companies and places that I’ve worked. But I’ve watched so many young parents that look like they're surviving and not thriving in this—what I call this juggling act.

And so that's why I really decided to kind of write down these little bits of guidance and wisdom from over the years—because I really think that there’s a way to reflect on how can you do this so you can be healthy, happy, your kids can be happy, and you can feel like you’re really thriving in the day to day.

Rebecca: I love that. And your book is really written like that. It's like these literal bite size ideas and so it's not, you don't have to sit there and read chapters. You can just read a pick and choose topics. I also really love the way you structured this book.

Sarah: Yeah. Absolutely. I actually joke that most working parents don't have time to read a book. Actually, you know, that's not really. When is that going happen? 

So it is written with bite sized pieces, so there's about 140 topics. They're all just a paragraph or a page and it's not meant to be read cover to cover. The table of content says it all laid out. So you can just pick a topic, reflect on that one topic, and then set it aside till you want to take another in.

Wisdom for Working Moms with Young Kids

Rebecca: I love it. And so let’s just—I just really want to pick your brain. I mean, I know that I’ve said that to you, but it’s like you are ahead of a lot of working moms that listen to this particular podcast.

I would say, you know, the average person here that listens—the average mom—has kids that are pretty young. And so you have so much to give us about having juggled that demanding career and life as a mom. And so I just, I can’t wait to hear some of that.

When you think back about that experience as a mom and as an executive, like, what are the things that come up? What are the memories? What are the moments?

Making Global Travel Work for Family Life

Sarah: You know, there’s a lot of memories of moments.

I think one of the things that I reflect on is—I loved my career and always did, but I loved being a mom. And so for me it was like, how did those moments kind of come together?

And you know, one of the fun things for Grace and I is that, you know, because I was in this global role, I did travel a lot. And you know, that global travel and, you know, being away and then coming back was a reality of our life.

And I really loved those trips, but I also realized, you know, I was leaving Grace and my husband at the time, you know, to deal with the day-to-day. But, you know, I look back and I think, you know, she grew with the fact that I—mommy went away, mommy came back. And you know, that was just part of the fabric of our life.

And I feel so fortunate that I was able to do that type of travel and to manage that, but also that Grace was able to both appreciate the world in a different way.

And also, I had a lot of colleagues that came in town from around the world, and I’d have them over for dinner—so that instead of going out to a business dinner, you know, and being away, I’d have them over. And so then she’d meet these individuals that, you know, she wouldn’t have necessarily met otherwise—from different cultures, different parts of the world.

And so that’s an example of, you know, a little bit of a tweak. You might need to do a business dinner, but it doesn’t mean you have to actually, you know, go out. You can actually bring them into your home and expose your kids to your colleagues in a different way.

So that was just an example that I felt was—that helped me. So I wasn’t always, you know... even when I was home, I had a lot of those dinners, and I didn’t have to necessarily be away.

The Emotional Toll of Work Travel for Moms

Rebecca: Yeah, I love that. I have a lot of clients that I work with that do a lot of travel. And travel—travel is a tough topic. You know, it's important, and a lot of times when you reach a particular level in your career, it involves travel. Like, there isn't much you can do about that.

And yet the amount of emotion that, you know, a young mom feels leaving her kid all the time—everywhere from the guilt to the anxiety to whatever it might be—it’s very, very confusing. Did you go through a period of really feeling confused or conflicted, maybe, is another word?

The Guilt Trap and the Power of a Mantra

Sarah: Yeah. You know, there are moments. I’d say overall, what I tried to say—first of all, guilt is... I grew up Catholic, so think guilt ingrained.

But, you know, I think one of the things with guilt is we have to tell ourselves that we’re—there’s a saying I told myself throughout time, which is: I’m doing the best I can. Okay?

And the reason I told myself that was to help placate that guilt that we all feel about trying to be in two places at once, which is not physically possible.

And so over the course of time, whether it was my travel or something I could or couldn’t make at school, I would say, Look, you know, I would tell myself—and I’d say to Grace and to M—I’m doing the best I can.

So I think that’s one of the things. Whether it’s demands of travel, the demands of your schedule, you really have to try to set that guilt—I’d say not “set” guilt, really just manage the fact that guilt is not a healthy emotion for us if we’re trying to do all of this.

And really just give yourself that little boost of telling yourself, You know what? I’m doing the best I can.

Replacing the feeling of guilt with that mantra—or a mantra that gives you that energy of saying, Stay the course. You’re doing what you’re meant to be doing.

Differentiating Guilt from Sadness

Rebecca: I sometimes like to—or a lot of times with my clients, when they start talking about guilt—I like to differentiate. Because I think sometimes we actually use the word guilt and we mean just, like, sadness.

Like, it's sad to leave your daughter to go on a trip away from her. Like, you probably are never gonna not feel that sadness.

But guilt is like a twist on that sadness that says, I’m doing it wrong because of this. Right? And then you feel guilty—like it’s somehow wrong.

And what I love about the phrase, I'm doing the best I can, is you’re kind of reframing away from this idea that there’s something wrong that I’m doing—because of the emotions. Because she feels a certain way. Because I feel a certain way. And you're saying, I... you know, it just—I'm doing the best I can. This is what it is.

Sarah: Yes.

Rebecca: And it’s okay. There’s almost like this following point: And it’s okay.

The Role of Expectations in Managing Guilt

Sarah: And it’s okay. Yes. And that—that comes back to expectations. Right? And the expectations we set for ourselves, the expectations our kids have for us, and probably, if you broadened it out, the expectations society has for all of us—especially women—in terms of how we’re supposed to be managing all this.

So I do think expectations and that guilt emotion kind of go in an interesting parallel.

And so I do think it’s a matter of defining what those expectations should be. And then again, using a mantra like I’m doing the best I can to really, you know, keep you focused on how you can meet those expectations realistically.

Why Guilt Grows Without Clear Expectations

Rebecca: Yeah, this is a really—and I know you have some bite-sized pieces in your book on this too, around expectations. Because I think guilt is more prominent when you haven’t set expectations. Right?

When you haven’t told your brain, like, what really is important to you and why the things that you do matter. I can see your eyes. Tell me more.

Sarah: Absolutely, it’s so important. Well, I mean, it comes down to one of the things I think links expectations is the boundaries you set in your life. And both, by the way, both for your personal life and professional life. 

And one of the things that I think we don't do enough of is really think about the boundaries that we want to set. 

Expressing Your Boundaries to Those Around You

And we might have that conversation with ourself about boundaries, but the most important thing is to then share your boundaries with those around you, whether it's your coworkers or your spouse or your nanny. Or whoever's in your life that's helping you to understand what you're trying to manage here. And sometimes because people can only respect boundaries that they know exist.

Rebecca: Yeah.

Sarah: And if you don’t share your boundaries, then people will walk right over them or walk on top of them—and you’ll be upset because you’ll say, Well, I was trying to have this boundary. But again, no one can respect one that they don’t know exists.

So I think the most important thing is for you to think about the boundaries that you want to set, articulate them to those around you, and then ask them to help you in protecting and respecting those boundaries.

How “Grace Time” Protected My Evenings and My Peace

And an example I have is—you know, on my work calendar throughout Grace’s life, I blocked the evenings, and I called it Grace Time. Her name was Grace, so it was Grace—mine.

And the reason that was important is because I was in a global role, and people could ask to talk to you at any hour of the day.

Now, I would leave the office, and for a couple of hours in the evening, that was Grace’s time. And no one could book a call during those hours. And I’d say to my assistant, you know, If someone would like to, please offer them—no.

So my Grace Time was 6 to 8pm. No give call. But if someone wanted to talk to me at 8:30 or 9:00pm or after carpool the next morning, sure—more than happy to.

But I really tried to protect that time because our kids get so few hours of us in a given 24-hour period because of the schedules we all keep. And so I really felt that that was an important piece of the puzzle for me in terms of both setting and protecting my boundaries.

And it really worked. I mean, I had very few instances over the course of Grace’s life that I needed to take a call during those hours.

So I didn’t want her remembering a mom who was also, you know, very—had a busy schedule—for those few hours that she got, that I was on a call or that I was on my laptop. That wasn’t how I wanted her to associate.

Rebecca: Yeah, yeah, Mom's always working moms.

A Visual Cue To Help Disconnect

Sarah: Yeah. And actually physically too, Rebecca—when I walked in the house, I had a cupboard. I say find a cupboard—I had a cupboard that I put my touch—that had my laptop—in this cupboard. So I had it out of view.

Because I do fundamentally think that many of us—and now I do realize with the work-from-home dynamics that many of us have these days, this is a little bit different—but I think: think about where your laptop is living when your children are around.

Because if it’s on the kitchen table or the counter—the kitchen counter—it is talking. Even if it’s closed, it’s talking to you.

Rebecca: It’s talking to you. I mean, it’s the same thing with our phones, right? We got now—and I guess 20-plus years ago, we still—you weren’t quite there yet with the phone being so prominent as a... but we got to talk about that as a computer too, right?

The Power of Putting Technology Away

Sarah: Absolutely. Absolutely. And I feel the same way. I literally put my phone on a charger in a cupboard for those couple hours.

Now, these days it’s now the remote control for our lives in our house, which makes it a little harder. But it’s just—it's really being conscious about how our children associate technology with us and our careers and our jobs.

Physical and Time-Based Boundaries Matter to Kids

And so it takes some discipline, but I really think that it’s one of the things that—when you talk about boundaries, both those that are time-based and those that are physical—really can have an impact on how our kids are viewing us both as parents and viewing, and actually having perception of, our jobs and our careers.

And the impact it has on them—and whether it’s taking away from their time, of course, that they think is theirs.

So I really feel strongly that you have to kind of really consciously think about that and build that muscle.

Rebecca: And I think that so many women are really worried to put that type of boundary up—to make a decision. Essentially, you’re saying, like, make a decision about when you’re not going to be working and when you’re unavailable to work, and then communicate that out on some level.

But I know so many women get really worried about doing that. They’re worried about what other people think. They’re worried about the rest of their team. They’re worried about the men on their team—they don’t probably do that.

They’re worried about, you know, they’re worried about the optics of all of that and there being kind of repercussions for that.

And I’m curious—did you ever experience that? Or what are some of your thoughts to those—to the women that really fear that?

Choosing What’s Right for Your Family Without Regret

Sarah: Yeah, it’s interesting. Now, you know, if I experienced it—I’ll be honest—I was making the choice that I thought was right for me and for Grace.

So if it impacted my career, I’ll be honest, I don’t reflect back that there was a negative impact because I set those boundaries. I think people respected the fact...

Now, I was very available for much of the day, and I talk about transference of hours. So when I say I’ll take a call at 9:00pm—you know, I would take a call at 9, 10:00pm at night, no problem, with my Asia colleagues, and not think twice about it.

But at that point, Grace was asleep, and, you know, it wasn’t taking away from her time.

And so I think... I can reflect back on—if there was any negative ramification, it wasn’t one that I felt. Because also, I knew that I was doing the right thing for what I needed to do to raise Grace and be present for those few hours that she did get.

And so that’s—but the transference of hours is one of those kinds of considerations. I was still delivering—it just may not be in the normal traditional 9-to-5 hours at certain times.

Pushback from Colleagues

Rebecca: Yeah, yeah. So was there ever a pushback that you found from anyone on that as a boundary at all—or any boundaries for you?

Did you ever find managers or bosses or colleagues looked differently at you or made comments to you about being a mom and some of those boundaries you were trying to put in place?

Sarah: You know what? No. I’d say, if anything... thinking back, you know, I would say I was in an era where I was probably helping to define what this looked like in some respects.

You know, and so if there was anything, there was reflection on, we see what you're trying to do—in a positive way. Not a judgment way, like you're taking two hours in your evening for your child. But I think understanding that, in a global role with the demands that came with that, that, you know, there was—I think—probably more quiet emotional support that was coming, versus questioning.

Now, you know, are there times when I... I would travel for a week or ten days, you know, I was gone—as I talked about earlier. And so, you know, I did have—well, I’ll say I did have judgment, but not from one of my colleagues.

Facing Judgment Outside the Workplace

I was at the preschool when Grace was about three years old, and I had this young mom walk up to me. And I was in my pantsuit and she was in a tennis outfit—which is fine, she was heading off to tennis. And she looked at me and she goes, Oh, so you're Grace’s mom? And I said, Yeah, yeah. And she said, So I understand you travel internationally? And I said, Yeah, yeah. And she said, Well, who's with Grace when you're on those trips?

And I said, Well, her dad and we have a nanny. And she’s like, Oh. Oh, okay. And literally that’s all—she turned, turned on me and walked away. And I thought...

Rebecca: Interesting choices you’re making...

Sarah: So in fairness, it wasn’t in the workplace that I had that. It’s in those moments where I thought, Oh, that was so interesting.

Now on the flip side of that—I had wonderful stay-at-home moms who were incredibly supportive of what I was trying to do, and to be there, you know, along the journey with me.

But no, I didn’t necessarily have the judgment in the workplace as much as maybe more broadly from society.

Rebecca: Yeah, I could see that. You know, one thing that’s striking me too—because as I have conversations like this with some of my clients and other working moms—I think inherent in your ability to do this is the desire, is for you to feel really clear that the career path that you're on and what you're doing is actually what you want.

Because there's a piece—I can hear somebody listening to this and going, Well, I don’t... what if I don’t want that? Well, if you—I mean, that has to be an important part of this conversation, is you’re making that decision that you’re all-in to the career path that you're on.

Sarah: It’s such an important piece, Rebecca. And I do talk about this in the kind of last portion of my book. I have a lot of career reflections.

Rebecca: Yeah.

Enjoying Your Work Is Essential to Sustainable Balance

Sarah: You know, and one of them is, I do feel fortunate that I've enjoyed what I've done for my career and I've enjoyed the work. And so the trade-offs and the balancing of those two worlds was something I chose, and I was very conscious in what I chose to do.

But I do think life is too short not to enjoy what you do. And I think—especially if you're trying to juggle being a working parent or a working mom and, you know, have a career—really giving some thought to what it is you're doing.

And I say—I always say—one of my principles: Enjoy what you do and do what you love. And, you know, that's really important.

And I see so many people—and I talk to a lot of them—that are incredibly successful in their careers, but they actually don't enjoy it. You know, they actually don't enjoy it.

And so if you're not enjoying it and you're trying to manage a juggling act, raising your children—that can feel like, you know, you're carrying a weight of something you actually don't want to carry because you're not actually enjoying this part of your life, this part of the equation.

So I think so much regret...

Rebecca: Leaves all this room for regret of your decisions, right?

Redefining Success

Sarah: Yeah, absolutely. And I just—I think that that's unfortunate. I see it more often than I would like to admit.

And I think that's because sometimes the definition of success may not necessarily always link to what someone enjoys in terms of what they're doing each day.

And so I mentor both young, you know, kids coming out of college, to young professionals—even people in my era of life that are probably looking for the second phase of careers and things.

And the one question I always say to them is: What do you want to talk about every day?

Rebecca: yeah.

The Question Everyone Should Ask—At Any Age

Sarah: And I actually don't think enough people in life really stop and ask that question. That question, you know?

And it’s so funny—I can say that to an 18-year-old, a 22-year-old, a 35-year-old, a 50-year-old—and ask that same question. And there are so many people who will say, I've never really thought about that.

And I said, That's one of the most important things we have to think about.

Because, you know, from a career standpoint, once—if you can answer that question for yourself and come back to that question over the course of time—I think it’s an important one to reflect on.

Rebecca: Yeah. How you spend your time is how you spend your life. I mean, that’s it. We can look at your calendar and kind of know what your life is all about based on how you’re spending your time.

My Annual Career Check-In Questions

Sarah: Absolutely. Absolutely. And throughout my career, I had questions that I asked myself very consciously each year.

So as part of my kind of New Year's resolution–esque era, in January, I had these questions I asked myself:

  • Am I learning?

  • Am I contributing?

  • Am I challenged?

  • Do I enjoy who I work with?

  • Am I compensated fairly for what I’m doing?

  • Can I balance the life and the juggling act in the way that I feel I need to with this role?

And the final one for me was:

  • Can I travel the world?—because that was important to me.

But, you know, those are the questions I asked myself. And if any of those weren’t “yes”...

Rebecca: Were they? Yeah, I want to know were they ever a no. And then you made adjustment and then..

Sarah: I’d made some tweaks in terms of my career path. And so that.

Rebecca: Do you have an example of that? I'm just curious.

When It’s Time for a Career Pivot

Sarah: Yeah, I mean... I mean, I spent an amazing 20 years at The Coca-Cola Company and loved what I did. But there was a point where I knew there wasn’t another role at the company that I would want to do.

And so I thought, You know, this is a point when I need to consider going and working with lots of companies, which—I went into the consulting space. And so, yeah, there were points when I did have that moment of, Okay, it’s time for a change.

Saying No to Promotions

And there are other times, interestingly enough, during my career, where—because of what I was trying to juggle in my personal life (and I actually went through a divorce when Grace was seven)—I passed up promotions.

You know, I said, This isn’t the time for me to take on this new challenge, because I need to focus on making sure Grace and my new life, you know, as a single working mom, was going to unfold as it needed to unfold.

But there’s a lot that happens during that process as well. So I can look back on those different pivot points in life and say, it’s about asking yourself questions and also being really true to what you think you should be doing at that point.

And it’s not always about getting that next promotion, that next step—if it’s not the right time for you for what you're trying to manage across your life.

No Regrets About Saying No

Rebecca: As you look back at passing up promotions—because I think this is where a lot of listeners are at at this moment, probably making decisions about career choices and weighing it against the impact on their family—do you wish there was a way you had done it differently? Or, as you look back, is there something you're most proud of? I'm just really curious about those moments.

Sarah: Yeah, no, actually, I can look back at that distinct moment and say—there’s no question I made the right call to pass up that promotion. I was able to focus on Grace. I was able to do the job that I knew I could do very well, because it was not a time for me to take on something new that required me to dig in even further on the career front.

Trusting There Will Be More Opportunities

And, you know, that was—have not an ounce of regret of passing up that promotion. Not for even a second. It was the right call. And, you know, other things, other opportunities come up down the road. And so a lot of times you just have to believe that maybe that wasn’t the right time for that type of opportunity. But there are other things that are going to be out there for you if and when you decide that you need to pass something up like that.

You Have to Believe More Opportunities Will Come

Rebecca: I want to pause there because I think this is really important for everybody to hear. You have to believe that other opportunities exist for you. 

Because I think that’s where sometimes the crux of making that difficult decision can be—if you’re choosing your family over the promotion or over whatever the next challenge is in your career. There’s kind of this mindset that we have—we get kind of greedy for it a little bit in those moments, right? 

Versus believing it’s abundant. I mean, look how successful you’ve been in your career. Obviously, passing up those promotions didn’t hurt it at all in the end, right?

Sarah: Well, and I think it’s a long career. I mean, if you think of the path of a career, it’s many decades generally. And so, you know, sometimes at that moment that you’re in, choosing your family and choosing what you need to do for your life is absolutely the right call.

You Can Say No Now—and Still Win Later

And again, I think life is too short to feel like you have to chase that next promotion, that next title, if at the end of the day, you’re going to look back and go, “Wow, that wasn’t the right thing for Grace and for me and for our life.” I would be really sad if I were to tell you now that, “Oh, I took that promotion—but it was a mess.” You know?

So I just want people to think about that. Careers are long. Life is short. And it’s also a long life—we live both truths at once. From a career standpoint, there are points in your journey where making a choice for your life is the right thing. Believe in it. And also know that another path will open up down the road when it’s meant to.

Rebecca: Yep. Yeah, absolutely. I think the same goes true as we think about this—you’re also not married to your company. I mean, if your company is not offering you what you need in terms of managing life in the long term, it might not be the right spot for you. And it’s okay to pivot out into a different company or a different path, always.

I think women have a really hard time with that in a way that is… is interesting. Not a way that men, though.

Sarah: Yeah, yeah. I think that we're. I mean I'm a very loyal person.

Rebecca: Yeah. And so that’s a long time at Coca Cola.

Sarah: Yeah, exactly. It'a long time. Yeah. I'm a very loyal person. And so I think, yeah, there's a loyalty that a lot of us feel to places and in fairness to colleagues and I had wonderful mentors and there's a lot of reasons that people decide to stay places for long, long periods of time. 

But I think, you know, it's interesting, my husband, and then now ex husband used to say to me, you need to think about yourself as a free agent.

Rebecca: Yes.

Your Career Isn’t Set in Stone

Sarah: And it’s an interesting saying—one that, probably early in my career, I didn’t follow as much. But later in my career, I realized it was really good advice.

You have to be open to reevaluating both your job and how it fits into your life. I call it your working parent operating model. It’s about how you’re managing your career and your family at the same time—and that model needs to be checked in on regularly.

Every six months to a year, I’d ask myself: How is this working? What needs to shift? Because this isn’t a plug-and-play system. It doesn’t run on autopilot for 18 years while you raise your kids. Life changes. Needs change.

Make Evaluation a Habit, Not a Crisis

That regular reflection became essential—asking what your kids need, what your partner needs, what your work demands—and then adjusting. It’s not just another thing on your to-do list. It’s an active practice of staying aligned.

And if you can see that check-in as a normal part of your growth, not a burden, it becomes empowering. That’s how you stay in a fulfilling place, instead of feeling like you're just getting through.

Rebecca: Yes, absolutely, absolutely. I can't say enough about the need for evaluation—and regular moments of evaluation—through everything from weekly to monthly to quarterly to yearly check-ins. Whatever your rhythm is, it's in the reflective moment that we actually gain perspective. That’s when we can say, “I’m enjoying this. I want to keep going”—or not. We rarely have that clarity in the middle of the moment. It's only when we pause that the insight really comes.

Sarah: Absolutely. And again, as a working parent—and especially as a working mom—just finding the space and time to reflect can feel impossible.

Rebecca: Yeah.

Make Room for Reflection

Sarah: You really have to be intentional about it. Creating even a small pocket of time where you can check in with yourself is one of the most important things you can do. Ask yourself, How are things going? What do I need right now? That kind of internal conversation is where real clarity starts. And you don’t need hours—maybe it’s while on a walk or sitting in your car for a few extra minutes. For me, I actually did a lot of my thinking at 30,000 feet. I loved the white noise on planes—it gave me space to reflect in ways I couldn’t on the ground.

Making Time for Yourself as a Mom

Rebecca: I love that. And that actually leads me to something I was just about to ask—I’m curious about your me time. Did you have it when Grace was little? And what did it look like? Because to create time for reflection or anything for yourself, especially in the early parenting years, takes intention. What did it look like for you?

Sarah: Yeah, so for me, there were a couple things that were important to me—and still are to this day. I definitely think physical activity of some sort, whatever it looks like, matters. I'm actually a Pilates addict, so I do Pilates and I walk. I used to run a long time ago, but not anymore.

Walking or Pilates is something I tried to fit in when I could. Now, in the early days, that was Grace in a jog stroller. Over time, once she was old enough, I used to bring her to Pilates with me and she would sit in the corner. And I thought, Why isn't she just doing this with me? So at age 11 or 12, she started doing Pilates with me because I figured, Let’s introduce you to this.

I think it’s a matter of figuring out the things you can fit into your life. The only other thing I tried to give myself as a gift over the years—to manage both the physical wear and tear of travel and general stress—was a massage on a regular basis. That was my gift to myself.

Rebecca: Yeah.

Giving Yourself a Gift

Sarah: Okay. And that was what I felt like. It allowed me to really get, you know, the toxins out of my body and just really deep relaxation. So I think whatever it is that you give yourself, if you think of like, what's the one hour a week that you're going to give yourself a gift?

Rebecca: Yeah.

Sarah: If you think all the hours, what's the one hour that you. And it could be going to coffee with a friend, it could be a massage, it could be just a long walk.

Rebecca: That just makes you feel like a human, you know, that makes you. That isn't related to your roles in any way or what you do. It's just this is me being a human being and fulfilling a need, you know?

Sarah: Absolutely. Yeah. And I also think I was very fortunate that I, I really fostered my friendships even as a working mom. Now in the younger years, I do think it's harder, but as kids grow. But, you know, I try to see a friend once a week in some form or fashion, whether it was for a walk or for, you know, a dinner, whatever the case would be. 

Because you really need that connection. You need to feel, to your point, if all you feel you're doing is raising your family and working and there's nothing else going on, you can start to resent both sides of that equation.

Rebecca: Yeah, of course, of course.

The Motherhood Juggling Act

Sarah: And so I think really figuring out, you know, what are your outlets socially, what are your outlets physically that allow you to feel like you have more going on, I think is an important part of, you know, this juggling act that we're trying to manage. 

And on the front of my book, there's a sculpture, as you know, and it has five balls and they represent work, family, friends, health and spirit. And those are the five balls that we juggle in life. 

And you know, work and family are obviously the two foundational ones. But how you think about how you're really managing, you know, your friends, your health and your spirit are, I think that's the full equation. That's when you feel like you can, you know, get the fullest fulfillment, I think out of this juggling act.

Rebecca: Yeah, that you're actually living your life, experiencing your life, you know, and not just kind of working your way through it or moving your way through it.

Sarah: Exactly. Yeah, yeah. Getting through your to do list, Right?

Making the Time (Instead of Asking for It)

Rebecca: Exactly, exactly. And this—I can imagine—I can hear the voices of so many working moms that are struggling. I can hear in their head, But how do I get that time? And for a lot of women, they stop there.

That’s what I really want women to take away as they listen to you: there is no cookie-cutter way to do it. We’re telling you that the priority is that you’ve got to take some time for yourself—whatever that looks like to you.

You actually have to take the moment to sit down and go, How do I make this happen? Instead of asking it like it’s an esoteric, philosophical question. It’s not. It’s practical.

If I could make it happen, what are my options? For you, probably with the workout, it was like: I could find a babysitter. She could come with me. I could try to do this while she’s napping or asleep. Here are my options.

The option to not do it isn’t on the table. So which one am I going to do?

We kind of have to get to that point.

Your Options Will Keep Changing

Sarah: Absolutely. And those options—and what those options look like—change over the course of your children’s lives. When they’re little, the options are different than when they’re a little more independent. And then obviously, as they head into their own full independence, things shift again.

That’s why I think you have to evaluate every six months to a year: How are your options unfolding? and How do you tweak them? As your life evolves, new options and support will become available that weren’t even on your radar before.

Build Your Support Network

Sarah: I also think finding support—whether it’s a spouse or a partner if you have that in your life, or a nanny, daycare, family, or even neighbors—is essential. I talk about building your support network because it’s fundamental for a working parent, and especially a working mom.

I leaned on all aspects of my support network over the years. I couldn’t have done what I did without them.

Sometimes we think we shouldn’t ask for help—that we should be able to do all of this on our own. That’s such an unfortunate mindset to enter into this phase of life with, because doing it all alone? That’s a lot.

If you can find the individuals in your life who are willing to support you—some might be family or friends, some might be paid help—it matters. Even the neighborhood teenager who wants to make a little extra money on a Saturday and play with your kids while you go for a walk can make a difference.

It doesn’t have to be constant or expensive. It just has to be intentional.

Asking for Help Isn’t Failing—It’s Strength

Rebecca: You're not failing if you ask for help. I think that's the message we hear a lot as women.

I've been thinking quite a lot about this particular topic—how women, generally speaking, are very empathetic. We have a people-pleasing side to us. We feel deeply. And at the same time, we’ve also internalized a message that says: Be strong. Don’t show weakness. Keep rising.

We’re still working our way forward as women in the workplace. And then moms? We’re often at the bottom of the totem pole when it comes to equity.

And so it's this feeling of failure. If we can't do it, we can't do it all. And we can't do it all on our own. And it's the wrong message. But we still have to fight that message, you know?

Just Because You Can Do It All Doesn’t Mean You Should

Sarah: I do, I think you're right, because it's a mindset and it's a belief—that we're capable of doing it all. And that's why I say: just because we can doesn't mean we should.

You might be able to do it all, great. I'm not sure that that's necessarily the goal. Because in doing it all, you're not going to have any room for anything extra that actually allows you to feel like you're living that full life you really would like to live.

So if you can allow yourself to believe that asking for help and putting support around you will actually create space for those extra things—the things that make life feel full—that’s where fulfillment comes from.

And that, I think, is what I hope for everyone: that you don't feel like you have to do it on your own, take everything on, and not share the need with others. Because people are really happy to help… if you ask them.

Rebecca: You need just always. And if they're not, I don't know why they're in their life.

Knowing Who to Ask

Sarah: Well, and in fairness, you do learn over the course of time which friends... and I always say, you know, my working mom friends were not the ones that I generally asked for help because they were managing things the same way. Always. It was, in fairness, a lot of wonderful stay-at-home mom friends that were there for me in moments when I’d say, “Hey, I can't—my nanny's sick, Rob's out of town—can you get Grace?” Like, “Of course, yeah, I’ve got it.”


And so I think it is a matter of the balance of friendships, and they all bring something to your life in different ways.

It Takes a Village—and a Lot of Group Texts

Rebecca: This is so poignant, actually, because I'm just coming out of spring break. I had to ask seven different people to help me this last spring break in order to cobble together the childcare I needed. Seven different people.

And on some level, I can reflect on that and go like, this is ridiculous. The system is so not in my favor. What in the world?


And then I go, you know what? I have seven people in my life that were very willing to help me out—and thank goodness for them.


I could look at this from all sorts of angles, but it takes a village to raise our kids, and we’ve got to lean in. We’ve got to be a part of the village, and we’ve got to lean into it.

Building (and Being) the Village

Sarah: Absolutely. And I think that's the thing—I think, accept that it does take a village and look for those individuals that want to be part of that with you. And, you know, show the appreciation when they do, but also be there when the request comes from the other angle. It’s all part of it.

But it's all—I agree—sometimes you go, wow, it's a lot to wear all this together. But I think it's also kind of part of that. I took that on as kind of the interesting challenge. Like, okay, how are we gonna do all this?

Rebecca: Yeah. Yeah. Is there something that you really wish you would have known, if you could go back and talk to your past self in the juggling act you were going through? Some wisdom you wish you could have imparted—or as you look back?

What I Wish I Had Done Sooner

Sarah: That’s such a great question. You know, one of the things that I think—because of how we all approach our lives—I probably would have liked to have done earlier is set the boundaries that I actually set as a working parent earlier in my life.

Mmm, interesting. And it sounds funny, but that's so... it’s almost like the 20-year-old self, like the 20s, 30s-year-old. Because I think that would have been an interesting way to have lived my 20s a little bit differently.

But in terms of the thing that I share with others that I think is still something that I every day am challenged with—it's that all the stuff that comes at us every day that we feel like we need to tackle. Because we're in such a constant instant-response world.

Taking a Pause

It’s the invitation, it’s the birthday present you sent, or the baby gift. All these things that come at us and it’s like feeling like you have to do it right then. And just—take a pause and say, “You know what, that’s something I’ll get to, but it just might not be right now.”

And, you know, setting up a way of managing the—I call it the incoming—you know, all the stuff coming at us in a way that it doesn’t overwhelm. And I think early on in Grace’s life I didn’t quite have that sorted.

Rebecca: Almost like a system to like first funnel it in and then figure out how you were gonna make a decision on if it was important. Do it, delegate it, don't do it, you know.

The Sunday Lists

Sarah: Exactly. And so what I eventually created is what I called my Sunday lists and actually just did this yesterday. So it's a great example. You know, my Sunday lists were all the things that are coming in that I would just say I'm go going to look at that on Sunday. 

And so I just put this list of things and again, it's a myriad of things. And then I would look on Sunday and just block an hour and say, what are the things that are most important to do today? And if they weren't urgent for today, they were put on the next Sunday list.

Rebecca: Yeah.

Sarah: And what that allowed me to do is not have those things kind of pecking at me throughout the week.

Rebecca: Yes.

Sarah: Right. And just like niggling at you like, oh, I'm supposed to do this and I'm supposed to do that. And so it just allowed me, so I still to this day - and Grace has been out of the house for a number of years now - I still have my Sunday list and it's how I manage all the stuff that comes at me at any given week. Then like, you know what? I'll just think about that.

Rebecca: I'm gonna handle that on Sunday. I'm gonna handle that…And it really does. It really quiets your brain down. It goes, oh, okay, we're going to do that on Sunday. Okay.

Sarah: Exactly, exactly.

We Have to Let Go of the Mental List

Rebecca: You've decided the point at which you're going to make that decision or execute on that task. And so your brain lets it go. Right. Because we can only hold so many things in our brain at a time. Right. We have to have mechanisms to let it go.

Sarah: Yeah. To let it go and to not feel like it’s literally sitting there going, “Hey, you haven’t done this. You haven’t done this.” So that’s something that I’ve used. And early in Grace’s life, I was—you know, the constant onslaught of birthday gifts and baby gifts and wedding gifts—like all that stuff. Just all the things that we’re needing to do to respond to.

And so I started that process, and I have to say, to this day, it’s one of the... it’s—to your point—it calms the brain for me. Once I put it on my list, I joke it’s my permission to forget. And so it’s on the list and I can deal with it later.

So it’s one of those things that I think I learned. It’s a skill I learned over the course of time. A muscle I built. But it was definitely helpful.

Rebecca: Yeah. I know we gotta—we got to start wrapping it up here. But there’s another question that I’m really thinking about as I think about you imparting wisdom to those that are listening. What’s one thing you really wish more women knew about—the juggling act between being an executive, being in corporate life, and being a mom?

Reflection is So Important

Sarah: I would love for women to really appreciate that this is something that is both so doable. But it goes back to what you and I talked about earlier. That to do it and to enjoy it is to really do that reflection on: Are you enjoying what you go to do each day…

Rebecca: Is this what you want to do?

Sarah: Yeah.

Rebecca: It's a reflection on that, on some level.

Sarah: On some level. Because I think if you can have that conversation with yourself then you know, all that comes with the juggling act, is absolutely worth it.

Rebecca: Yeah.

Sarah: And I'm a big believer that you know, it's something to enjoy and to, you know, thrive in.

Rebecca: Yeah.

Sarah: But it does, it does take active and we talked about this earlier, it takes active management. It takes active of reflection. It is not a passive, it's not.

Rebecca: A crockpot where you’re gonna set it and forget it.

Sarah: Yeah, there's not a set and forget mode on your career and being a working parent.

Rebecca: Yeah. So good. When I think back to kind of the success equation if you will, that you've kind of given us a little bit the evaluation I think is key. 

You also stated pretty early on the importance of making a decision around what is important to you and what your boundaries are going to be. That requires actually a moment of stopping and thinking about those priorities. Right. You kind of have to do that first and then have a time that you're regularly evaluating that. 

And for you, part of that equation, success equation was time to move your body, time for friends, time to time to kind of manage all of the tasks on I mean - these are literally like we could look at your calendar and say these are the things that made you successful during this season of your life. Probably continue to make you successful today. Right. 

That these are the things that you prioritize and you said they're non negotiable to me, this is the way my life is going to go.

Sarah: Absolutely.

Rebecca: I love it. Thank you so much for being here, Sarah. And I would love women to be able to buy this book. It's such a... it's such a great—almost—it’s not a pocket guide—it’s a good-sized book, but it has that feel to it because you literally can just pick a topic and hear your thoughts on what it was like for you to manage that. And I love it. So how can people find this book? Tell us.

Where to Find Sarah’s Book

Sarah: Yes. So you can go on—it’s available on Amazon and all of the other booksellers around the world. And you can also go to thejugglingact.com, which is my website if you want to contact me. And it has a bit more on the background on the book and those things.

It is available—the book is available in both a paperback and an eBook, iBook, Kindle version. And it is meant to be, as I mentioned earlier and you referenced, you know, just kind of that guide that you can reach for when you want to reflect on a specific topic. And you don't have to read it cover to cover, but it’s there along the journey and hopefully it does help all those working parents and working moms out there to really focus on how you can thrive as a working parent and enjoy both aspects of your life—raising your children and your career.

Rebecca: So good. Thank you again, Sarah. Thanks for imparting wisdom. Thanks for all you're doing in this world to help working moms figure it out. You're right. I think you are—if we look back, if we look at the whole journey of working moms in the corporate life—you have been one of them that is paving a path a little bit for us. So I appreciate all you're doing in the world.

Sarah: Yeah, thank you so much, Rebecca.

Rebecca: Yes, of course, of course. All right, working moms—until next week, let's get to it.

Rebecca Olson